This invention relates to a lightweight protective ear guard which relies on an outer air cushion created between a semi-rigid inner shell and a resilient outer shell to provide a multi-level degree of shock absorbency and protection for the ears. The wearable structures comprising a pair of ear guards connected by a plurality of adjustable strap members are provided for particular use by wrestlers to protect their ears from injury due to contact with wrestling surface and other wrestlers.
Amateur wrestlers are subjected to maneuvers and contact with opponents and the wrestling mat which can result in injuries to the outer ear surfaces. Such injuries can be the result of unintentional blows to the ear by opponents, abrasion by sliding contact with the mat, ie., mat burn, and unintentional head contact between opponents, ie., head butts. As a means of protecting against such injuries, ear guard devices are in wide-spread use and generally provide a reinforced cup shaped protector covering the ears.
Most ear guards are deficient in the level of protection they provide to both the wearer and opponents, either because of insufficient padding and thus reduced shock absorbency or because their construction results in a high profile which can catch on opponents"", clothing or equipment. Other ear guards are complex in their construction and strap arrangement which renders them uncomfortable and difficult to adjust on the wearer for proper protection.
In his U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,945, the inventor herein provided an improved ear guard assembly of the type comprising an inner rigid shell with outer shock absorbing foam held in place by an overall encompassing molded flexible outer covering. A plurality of straps attaching directly to the rigid shell interconnect the ear guards to form the assembly. The ear guards of this patent provide a multi-level degree of protection and shock absorbency by means of an inner foam pad and an outer pad of partially compressed foam having a plurality of raised, uncompressed areas or plateaus separated by compressed lands or valleys. However, the ear guard of this patent remains somewhat complex in its construction and adjustability to obtain a proper fit on the user.
In a further patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,516, the present inventor provided a wrestling ear guard comprising a pair of substantially identical mirror image, roughly inverted triangular shaped guards comprising a cup member formed of thin, relatively stiff, resilient sheet material having an inner concave surface and an outer convex surface, a first padded layer applied to the inner concave surface and comprising a roughly inverted triangular portion and outwardly and upwardly extending strap members contiguous with the triangular member at the upper top corners thereof, a second padded layer applied to the outer convex surface and comprising a roughly inverted triangular member corresponding in size to the inverted triangular portion of the first padded layer and being partially compressed over the outer surface thereof, the second layer being secured about its periphery to the first padded layer whereby the cup member is confined between the first padded layer and the second padded layer.
Although suitable for use and providing the protection necessary for wrestlers, these prior devices have their drawbacks in that they rely solely on the compression of foam structures for initial shock absorbency. Foam has limitations with respect to the degree of compression, softness and durability. Externally exposed foam can tear during competition resulting in a loss of protection or postponement of a match to allow a change of equipment. In the present invention, the multilevel degree of shock absorbency and protection of the inventor""s prior patents has been adapted to a new structure which relies on the cushioning quality of air trapped between a semi-rigid inner shell and a flexible resilient outer shell.
Air cushions have been used in other structures to provide protection for wearer""s. Most notably, helmets have been devised which employ inflatable air bladder constructions such as the following: U.S. Pat. No. 600,778 Frazier, U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,780 Cushman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,220 Keltner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,904 Matthes, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,689 Baron. In addition to a helmet, Keltner applies his structure to shoulder pads and shin and arm guards.
With specific regard to ear protection, Marchello, U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,861 and Jones, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,522, have incorporated air cushioning, but not in the manner nor with the results obtained by the present inventor.
Specifically, Marchello provides wrestling helmet ear pads that are designed to fasten inside a rigid outer guard wherein the ear pad is formed of a thick, resilient rubber like sheet material molded to form a central ear receiving pocket that is surrounded by bulged cushion forming strips which engage the wearer""s head around the ear. These strips bulge away from the inner surface of the outer rigid guard to form resilient compression chambers. Thus, in this ear guard, all of the padding is on the inside of the ear guard against the wearer""s head with the result that the entire shock received by the outer ear guard surface is conveyed to the inner padding without any preliminary attenuation.
In Jones, et al., an ear protective member having a variably adjustable expandable bladder on the inner surface of the ear protective member is described. In this structure, the bladder is on the inside and forms a ring which engages the wearer""s head around the ear. In this manner, the bladder takes the place of the common foam ring used in other ear protectors. The outer surface of the ear protective member is simply covered with a layer of foam as has been done in the past.
In contrast to the prior art ear guards, the present invention provides an ear guard wherein initial protection from an exteriorly applied shock is provided by an air cushion formed between a semi-rigid inner shell and a resilient outer shell which are sealed together about cooperating flanges. A foam cushion is provided on the inner surface of the inner shell to fit against the wearer""s head around the ear. The structure of the inner and outer shells is such that force from a blow to the outer shell is both cushioned by the air trapped between the inner and outer shell and directed peripherally over the inner shell away from the wearer""s ear in a more even distribution than previously obtained by the use of foam. The redirected force is finally absorbed by the foam cushion.
The present invention is an improvement over the prior art and provides an ear guard construction which results in better protection to both the wearer and his opponent and which provides a multi-level degree of protection and shock absorbency. In addition, the invention provides a protective ear guard assembly which is both light weight and effective.
The present invention provides an ear guard comprising;
A semi-rigid inner shell comprising a cup shaped center with a peripheral flange thereabout and at least one aperture substantially centrally located in the cup,
a resilient foam pad secured to an inner surface of the flange, and
an outer shell of resilient plastic material comprising a cup shaped center, a peripheral flange thereabout and an aperture substantially centrally located in the cup, whereby,
the outer shell fits over the inner shell, the outer shell cup is deeper than the inner shell cup and receives the inner shell cup therein whereby a space exists between the inner shell and the outer shell, and the outer shell peripheral flange is sealed to the inner shell peripheral flange, whereby an air cushion is formed between the inner shell and the outer shell.
The present invention further provides a lightweight protective ear guard assembly comprising a pair of ear guards connected by a plurality of adjustable straps to form a wearable assembly, wherein each ear guard comprises an inner semi-rigid shell having a cup shaped center portion forming a concave inner surface adapted to fit over and receive a wearer""s outer ear and a convex outer surface and having an aperture located substantially centrally therein, a peripheral outer flange surrounding the center portion and having inner and outer surfaces, the flange having a plurality of strap attaching means thereon, a soft resilient pad corresponding to and covering the inner surface of the flange, and an outer soft resilient shell disposed over the outer surface of the inner shell, the outer shell having a cup shaped center portion with a concave inner surface corresponding to and slightly larger than the convex outer surface of the inner shell, a peripheral flange thereabout, and an aperture located substantially centrally in the outer shell and corresponding to the aperture in the inner shell, the outer shell aperture having a skirt depending therefrom with a peripheral flange thereabout, whereby the peripheral flange of the outer shell is sealed to the peripheral flange of the inner shell and the cup shaped center portion of the outer shell receives the cup shaped center portion of the inner shell and is spaced therefrom whereby a shock absorbing air cushion is formed by the space between the inner shell and the outer shell.
Still further, the present invention provides a lightweight protective wrestling ear guard assembly comprising a pair of matching ear guards, each ear guard comprising,
an opaque semi-rigid inner shell comprising a cup shaped center with a peripheral flange thereabout and at least one aperture substantially centrally located in the cup,
a resilient foam pad secured to an inner surface of the flange,
a transparent outer shell comprising a cup shaped center, a peripheral flange thereabout and an aperture substantially centrally located in said cup, and
a skirt surrounding the aperture in the outer shell cup and depending from the inner surface, whereby
the outer shell fits over the inner shell, the outer shell cup is deeper than the inner shell cup and receives the inner shell cup therein whereby a space exists between the inner shell and the outer shell, the skirt extends to the inner shell and forms an air channel between the aperture of the inner shell and the aperture of the outer shell and the outer shell peripheral flange is sealed to the inner shell peripheral flange, whereby an air cushion is formed between the inner shell and the outer shell
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved ear guard which combines the shock absorbency of an air cushion and foam.
It is a further object to provide an improved ear guard having a multi-level degree of shock absorbency and ease of adjustment.
Further objects and advantages will become evident from the following drawings and descriptions.